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3D Bioplotter Research Papers
Displaying all papers by T. Mu (1 results)
Carbon fiber reinforced liquid crystalline elastomer composites: a dual exploration in strength augmentation and transformation flexibility through 4D printing
International Journal of Smart and Nano Materials
2024
Volume 15, Issue 2, Pages 312–329
Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) are renowned for their reversible deformation capabilities. Yet, enhancing their mechanical strength while retaining such flexibility has posed a considerable challenge. To overcome this, we utilized 4D printing to develop an innovative composite of LCE with carbon fiber fabric (LCEC). This approach has notably increased the tensile strength of LCE by eightfold, all the while maintaining its exceptional capacity for reversible deformation. By adjusting the alignment angle between carbon fiber and the LCE printing direction from 0° to 90°, the LCEC demonstrates an array of new deformation patterns, including bending, twisting, wrapping, and S-shaped transformations, which…